


marty mcfly

by moroodors



Series: whatever it takes [2]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Amnesia, Gen, Time Travel, Warning: contains a panic attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 14:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17346968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moroodors/pseuds/moroodors
Summary: stanford returns to his home dimension and things aren't quite right.





	marty mcfly

**Author's Note:**

> hey, this is a continuation of my fic 'whatever it takes'! check it out, if you want!

Stanford Pines stepped in his home dimension for the first time in some thirty years and was underwhelmed.

He expected some sort of rushing feeling or feeling that something deep inside him was sliding back into place. But no, nothing happened. His portal simply popped out of existence behind him and the world was developed into a calm silence. Maybe that's what different; that there is nothing different. This is his home. Ford lets the sides of his mouth perk up and his shoulders relax.

However, old habits die hard, so when there is a rustling noise in the bush beside him, he whips out his laser gun and gets into a defensive stance. He evaluates the surrounding forest and keeps his back against a tree so there's no sneak attacks from behind him. He keeps himself aware of the leaves above him in case anyone tries to jump down.

Two eyes peek over the leaves and Ford narrows his. Ford realigns his gun, "Show yourself!"

They do show themselves, jerking up from their hiding place. Ford has just enough time to recognize them as a child before they are sprinting away from him, screaming "Mabel!"

And Ford's gut is telling him to chase after the child, and Ford's learnt to trust his gut. (It was something he was forced to learn, when traveling through dimensions with language and behaviors the human brain couldn't even comprehend. With situations that gave no information to his brain, Ford had to give into the animalistic part of him, and, Ford hasn't died yet. So, over the years, he's learnt to trust his gut.) Ford shoves his gun back in it's holster, and runs after the kid.

He barely gets a look at the pine trees around him as he runs past, but it all strikes a nostalgic feeling inside him. He doesn't get to think much of it, however, as he needs to focus on not getting decapitated by running under a fallen trunk.

The kid is still screaming for "Mabel" as he bursts through into a clearing. Ford makes it there just after him and is just about to yell, "Wait, I mean no harm!" before it dies in his throat. He slows down until he is just standing there, mouth agape at what was once his home.

The Mystery Shack - did Stanley sell his house to some sleazy con artist? (Oh no, Ford gets a terrible image of a depressed Stanley, working on the portal like the other-dimension-Stan said, hope swirling away from him as he tries to learn equations and math that took Ford months to figure out without so much as a high school education. He can see Stanley with tears in his eyes, throwing his work away and giving up on Ford, giving up because he thought he could't do it. But he could do it, that's the amazing thing. Stan was able to teach himself complex physics that Ford practically invented with the help of a dream demon. Ford could see Stan giving his house away and moving on from Ford, maybe having a funeral, living his life. Ford doesn't really know what to feel at that.)

But all that is put on a back burner as the kid returns from where he had disappeared inside the house with a girl that looks strikingly similar to him. Twins. It sends a pang of longing through his heart. (Yeah, Ford is mad at Stan. Or, more like, Ford was mad. He's gotten over the dumb science fair thing. He's gotten over being pushed into a portal. Ford didn't have to worry about Bill Cipher now, so all he wants to do his see his twin brother.) 

"See, Mabel?" The kid says to the girl, Mabel, as they come closer to Ford, "It must be the shape-shifter. Although, it must be weak or something from escaping that old bunker we found because it's gotten some things wrong."

"Where?" Mabel asks her brother, a thoughtful hand on her chin that doesn't look quite right. Oh, it must be the chips on her ears. The two kids stop a few feet away from Ford.

"Look at it!" The kid says with an exasperated wave of his hand. Ford doesn't know how to feel about being addressed as 'it'. "His clothes are way wrong. His voice is nowhere close. He has six fingers, for Pete's sake!" He yells the last bit, seeming oddly riled up about the situation.

"Hey," Ford says, the twins jumping as Ford addressed them, "I am not the shape shifter. My dressing is odd because I haven't been in this dimension for quite some time. My fingers are none of your concern."

The boy's face turns into a thoughtful frown, but Mabel just bounces over to Ford, poking his stomach. "Wow! You're from another dimension! How come you look just like our Grunkle Stan?"

Ford is just about to question the term "Grunkle" when a voice cuts across the land, "Kids! I need you to help me counterfeit money!"

Ford's head jerks up with his heart hammering in his throat, his stomach dropping something cold inside him because of nerves because he thought he had time. He thought he had time to prepare, mentally, to see him. But here he was.

Stanley Pines. He's wearing a suit that strikes Ford as familiar and on his glasses is an upturned eye-patch - for some reason. His hair is also shorter than the last dimension's Stanley, Ford notes. It sends a shuddering breath through him with stinging eyes when Ford can see how similar he is to Stan.

For the first time in a long while, Ford's mind goes blank. Something strange and foreign swirls inside him that's different from the previous times he's seen Stans in different dimensions. It settles in between his bones and in the space around his heart and it's then he recognizes it as being home.

Ford doesn't utter a word as he walks to Stan, any remaining anger that he had towards Stan melting away because here his brother was (and Stan didn't doom the universe in this dimension - that makes it much easier to forgive Stan for everything).

It's when Ford is only a couple feet from his twin brother when he doesn't see happiness, love, relief, even recognition. He sees confusion and the smallest bit of fear.

"Stanley?" Ford questions, it burning his throat to do so, the noise barely getting past the ambiance of Gravity Falls.

Stan doesn't break into his trademark grin with a slap on Ford's back saying that he pranked Ford good like they would do when they were kids. He just looks past Ford and to the kids with an eyebrow raised, "Hey, what's going on here?"

Ford feels like that's a very good question.

"Dipper said this man just popped into the forest randomly! Dipper ran away but the man followed him here." Mabel says, remaining in what seems to be her constant state of bouncing.

"He just stepped through this blue swirling thing right in the middle of the forest! I couldn't see the other side, so it has to be a portal! And this man says he's from another dimension! Wait, what if this is you, Grunkle Stan, from another dimension?" The boy's - Dipper's - voice raised exponentially from the start to the finish and he produced a pen from somewhere and was clicking it at rates Ford was sure were illegal in school zones.

"Stanley?" Ford says again, cutting into the conversation before any thing more could be said where he came from. That didn't matter right now. Ford thumbed the tape measure (a time traveling device apparently) in his pocket, it suddenly feeling heavy in his pocket.

He really isn't sure what to do, so he lets the childish instinct take over. He swallows the fear that has been conditioned when meeting new people and holds his hand up, it looking hesitant but proud. He lets his mouth morph into a lopsided nervous smile. "High six?"

A loud silence. A whisper passed between Mabel and Dipper. A furrow of Stan's eyebrows that quickly disappears. A final nail in the coffin with a "What?" from Stan.

Ford's hand withers away.

"Who even are you?" Stan asks gruffly, as brash as he's always been.

Ford very quickly gets very emotional, which is not good. (Emotion gets in the way of science. In science, you have to put facts before feelings. His dad always said real men didn't show their emotions. Stan was never good with that rule. Ford wasn't either, for that matter.) So, Ford doesn't focus on his feelings. He focuses on what was his house.

"Stanley, what did you do to my house?" Ford says with an exaggerated wave of his hand and harsh blinking of his eyes to try and counteract the stinging. Ford takes long strides to the inside and is hyper-aware of Stanley and the kids watching him closely. It takes a second, but Ford finds where the entrance to the portal should be. There's a vending machine.

Ford whirls around to Stan, who's leaning on the counter. "Where's the lab entrance?"

"Lab..." Stan says, drawing the word out and tapping his chin. Shrugging after a few moments, "Nope. Can't remember. I've been forgetting things lately..."

Ford ignores what that statement might entail and turns back around to shake the machine. This appears to summon someone from the depths of the house.

"Don't shake it, dude. You have to do this," And the man proceeds to a complex tapping system which drops a bag a chips.

"There you go," The man says, looking at Ford for the first time and stumbling back, eyes darting in-between Ford and Stan. He points a harsh finger at Ford's face. "You're real!"

"Yes," says Ford with a nod, "I am very much real."

"Oh, yeah," Stan groans, rolling his eyes dramatically, "Soos had that wild theory that I had a twin brother a while back, said something about a basement."

"It wasn't a theory!" Soos yells, quickly getting passionate, "You told me and the little dudes your tragic life back story and then suddenly you all didn't remember! You didn't remember about the portal thing and the basement and the journals or practically anything about the summer! You didn't even remember to call Dipper and Mabel's parents when you said you would." Soos finishes his rant with heavy breathing and a cross of his arms.

Ford spins towards Soos, "You know about the portal? And my journals?"

Soos seemed to brighten when he saw that Ford actually knew what he was talking about. "Yes! But I didn't see the code to get into the basement. And I don't know where the journals went."

Ford thought of all the clues he's been given so far and paced the floor in front of Stan. "This sounds like a thoughtless use of a memory gun. But what could they be erasing?"

"The memory gun?" Dipper says, piping up for the first time in the conversation, "Like those Society of the Blind Eye people?"

"Exactly!" Ford exclaims, turning to Dipper, "How do you know them? This could be very critical in finding out why your memories were erased and not Soos's."

Mabel butts in, "We kicked those guys's butts! Us and Old Man McGucket totally defeated them and we got McGucket's memories back so he could remember who he worked with and stuff."

"Yeah," Dipper agreed, "So, we don't have to worry about them."

"Old Man McGucket?" Ford questions, "You mean, Fiddleford still lives in Gravity Falls?"

Soos nods, "He lives in the dump. It's actually not that bad, considering."

Fiddleford still lives in Gravity Falls. The very man that made the Memory Gun and personally knew Ford. He seems like he could be the missing piece in the puzzle. "I shall visit him immediately."

"Oh, great," Stan chimes in, "You can even use the Mystery Shack golf kart on your little adventure to get validation from the local crazy person."

"Thank you." Ford says, without looking at Stan and striding out of the Shack and across the lawn to the golf kart. Soos follows Ford out and gives him rough directions to where the dump is. 

"Thank you Soos," Ford pipes up as Soos is walking away. He turns back around, surprised. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Mr.Pines."

"It's, doctor, actually."

"Sure, Dr. Mr. Pines."

Ford doesn't bother correcting him. "Is there anyone else you can think of that might of information on anything? Anything at all that might give me information on why my own twin brother doesn't remember me?"

Soos thought for a moment. "Well, Wendy did know about your journals, but she now she just says that she figured that Dipper wrote them the entire time, so she's out. We found out that McGucket worked with the author, and then we found out the author was you from Mr. Pines." Soos tapped his chin and then exclaimed with a point to a sky, "Oh, there was also Gideon."

"Gideon?" Ford questions. 

Soos nods. "Gideon Gleeful. He found your second journal. Tried to take over the Shack. But he's in prison now, so everybody kind of forgets about him now."

Ford nods with a hum, mind whirring away. "Thank you, Soos." And with that, Ford drives away.

-

It doesn't quite settle in that Fiddleford lives in the actual dump until Ford is faced with the very dump, smells and all. 

Ford can remember it, from many years ago when he was desperate for parts. It looks, honestly, the same, save for some discarded technology appearing differently. Various substances crunch underneath Ford's boots as he delves deeper into the belly of the beast, looking for anything that might elude to someone living here.

"Stanford Filbrick Pines?"

And suddenly Ford's heart beating faster, faster and he feels like he's twenty again, seeing the world with fresh eyes and an eagerness that dies over time.

Ford turns around with a smile that he can't help growing on his face; however, it falls when he sees his old friend. 

He's shorter, something that resembles a hat sitting atop his head. He's painfully skinny, but his long, ratty beard covers most of his body. His hair is a shocking white that makes him look older than Ford knows he is. 

"Fiddleford," Ford says softly, opening his arms and welcoming Fiddleford in them like the past thirty years didn't happen. 

And Ford is crying before he realizes, tears stinging his cheeks because this is Fiddleford McGucket. His Fiddleford. The very same Fiddleford that shared his dorm and went on missions with him. This isn't a shapeshifter or some alternate version of Fiddleford. It's just Fiddleford. 

Fiddleford breaks the hug but still clings onto Ford's arms and Ford still does the same. "Stanford!" He says again, "Where have you been?"

Ford sniffles and smiles, "Out of this dimension, doomed by my own portal. I just got back. Gods, you were right, F. You were so right." 

Fiddleford laughs and gives a playful slap to Ford's shoulder, but Ford can see the sadness in his eyes. "Of course I am, Stanford." 

Ford turns his mood serious, "I have some questions I would like to ask you, if you don't mind."

Fiddleford nods like he expected this, which he probably did. "Of course, let's go inside." Fiddleford leads Ford to a shack of a house that Ford didn't notice before. Inside, is just as much as a mess as the dump outside. They take their seats at a little table and chairs that one might consider quaint if they've never seen a table and chairs before. 

"Ask away, Doctor Pines," Fiddleford says with a cross of his legs that all bring a smile to Ford's face, once again. 

"Upon entering this dimension again, I saw my brother, Stanley; however, he did not recognize me. Do you know why?"

Fiddleford takes a few moments to think before answering. "Oh, I know Stan. Came here a while ago, just when you left, I reckon. The Mystery Shack is nice, always throwing parties and the fair, adds life to Gravity Falls. His Dipper and Mabel are wonderful as well, they're the ones that helped me get my memories back! You would love them."

Ford nods, not really getting the information he wanted but taking it nonetheless. "Dipper and Mabel, who are they?"

"His great niece and nephew," Fiddleford says with a smile that has Ford noticing a missing tooth, "Beautiful twins and that really love each other. They just came at the beginning of the summer."

Ah, Grunkle makes sense now. 'Great Uncle'. Ford decides to try and return their subject to the missing memories, "You said they helped get your memories back. I thought that was impossible?" 

"Me too," Fiddleford says with a far out look, "But we found a tape of me going through the process of taking my own memories and started leaking back, over the next few weeks. It's still fuzzy in some spots." A quiet moment passes. "You, being one of the spots, particularly. I know we went to school together, but past that, I'm not certain."

Ford rests a hand on top of Fiddleford's, "That may be for the best." They share a look before Ford clears his throat and takes his hand back. "What do you know about Gideon?"

"I helped him build a giant robot!" And that's all he says, which needs no explanation. It sounds like something Fiddleford would do.

Ford stands up after that, "I'm sorry to cut our visit short, but I must figure out what's going on."

Fiddleford stands up too, a soft smile that Ford can't quite read but can recognize as something old couples sometimes share and Ford's face feels warm. "I understand, Stanford."

Fiddleford grabs Ford's hand a runs a finger down each of Ford's fingers. 1 2 3 4 5 6. "I've missed you. Stan has tried to convince everyone he's you, but I wasn't ever convinced. I could always tell with the hands." Slowly, Fiddleford lifts up Ford's knuckles up to his lips and presses a soft kiss to them. "Don't be a stranger, Ford." 

And there's perhaps a million things Ford wants to say, but he settles with, "See you soon, F." As that statement ensures they will meet again. 

Reluctantly, Ford leaves and heads towards the prison to meet a Gideon Gleeful.

-

It's worryingly easy to get in and talk to Gideon Gleeful. Ford attributes it to the fact that everyone thinks he is Stan (Gods, that hurts) and everyone seems to know Stan, so they let him inside. Apparently, Stan is the reason this person is in jail anyway, so they just let Ford pass them by. 

To say that Ford is surprised that Gideon is a child is an understatement. 

"Why are you here, Stanford?" Gideon says immediately when he sees Ford enter their small private room, "Come to rub it in my face, old man?" 

Ford has some questions, to say the least.

"How do you know who I am?" Ford says, taking a seat at the table, across from Gideon. (He keeps his hands under the table, an old habit.) 

Gideon laughs loudly, squeaking out in his country accent, "Have you gone senile in your old age?"

Ford leans forward, talking lowly, "You can be no older than 13, at most. I have been out of this dimension for much longer than that. It is impossible that we know each other. Now, tell me, how do you know my name?" 

Gideon stares at Ford for a long time, as if expecting Ford to call his joke. He rolls his eyes once he's decided that Ford wasn't going to say anything, "Well, since I have nothing better to do, I'll humor you, old man. You are Stanford Pines. You run the Mystery Shack. You are the great uncle of my beautiful Mabel. You exposed my fraud to the entire town. You happy now?" 

Ford gets a smile on his face that only comes with solving an problem as he leans back in his chair, arms crossed. "Ah, you have be confused with my brother, Stanley. Doesn't explain how you know the name Stanford, however."

"Stanley? Who's Stanley?" Gideon says, "I know Stanford because that's what you say your name is." 

Ford doesn't like going here, but he will. He lays his hands flat down on the table, "Look at my hands, boy, really look."

Gideon has a look on his face like he thinks this is ridiculous, but he rolls his eyes and does what he is told. Ford can see the exact moment that Gideon realizes that Ford is not what he seems to be. He looks back at Ford, eyes wide, "You..."

Ford smiles and brings his hands back, "Yes, I'm glad you now see. I am Stanford Pines. I don't know what he told you, but my brother is Stanley Pines. I am here because I've heard you have read one of my journals."

Gideon still looks like he is in shock. "Yes," He says, nodding, out of it, "The second one. That's why I went after your family, I thought they had the first one. Dipper had the third one, actually. It's a honor to meet you. Much of your research has been very useful."

"Thank you," Ford says awkwardly. "Do you have my journal?"

"No," Gideon says, looking genuinely sad, "I lost it when I was arrested."

They fall silent for a moment, and then Gideon talks once more, "Can I ask a question?"

Ford, feeling honored that someone has read his work and appreciated it, nods, "Of course." 

Gideon leans forward, this time, speaking quietly, "What was your relationship with Bill Cipher?"

And Ford is thrown into a panic. This person, this boy, this child knows Bill Cipher and that is because of Ford. He jerks to standing and the scrape the chair does across the floor stings his ears. He introduced this child to Bill Cipher and just because Bill Cipher is dead does not mean that Ford's actions are excused. What did Bill Cipher want with this child anyway? Was Gideon Bill Cipher's latest puppet? Is Gideon haunted, like Ford, with the ghosts of possession and trust issues with scars that could never heal? Can Gideon see the color yellow without flinching? Is Gideon still able to shake hands with someone? Did Bill Cipher have this child hurt himself because Bill Cipher thought it would be funny? Did Bill Cipher scratch words and threats into his skin? Did Bill Cipher give Gideon deep paranoia that still sticks with him decades later? Was Gideon's life ruined by Bill Cipher?

And it was Ford's fault.

Ford's fault.

Ford's fault.

And Ford can't breathe because (Bill Cipher's hands are around his neck-) he's having a panic attack. The room is spinning (because Bill Cipher just pushed him out of his own body again-). He's nauseous (from the sight of his own blood dripping from his eye-). He's shaky (from not sleeping for a week straight-). 

"I need... outside," Ford manages to choke out and suddenly he's outside, stumbling (like Bill Cipher whenever he was in a new puppet-). 

Ford sits on a curb and holds his head in his hands, closing his eyes and ignoring how everything feels like it is spinning. "Bill is dead." He tells himself, over and over, clinging to those words like they are a security blanket. Ford doesn't know how much time has passes, but, eventually, he calms himself. He brushes himself and makes his way back to the Mystery Shack.

-

When Ford arrives there, Soos runs out to greet him.

"Dr. Mr. Pines! Did you find out anything?"

"Not particularly." Ford thinks back to the conversation he had with his alternate dimensional self and makes up his mind. He pulls out the time machine. "Soos, when did you notice that everyone had forgot about me and my journals?"

Soos pulls out some rectangular device and taps it a few times, "Exactly three weeks ago, my dude." 

Ford adjusts the machine accordingly, a couple days before as three weeks is only when Soos noticed something, not when it actually happened. "See you earlier, Soos. Bye." 

And with that, Ford travels back in time, to the night Stanley was to erase Stanford from his and kids's memories.

-

There's a flash and everything looks the same, save for Soos no longer being next to Ford. Ford doesn't really know what else to do beside go to the front door. So, Ford hopes with his full heart, and does just that.

He's there and before he has much time to think about anything, he knocks a hard three knocks on the door, feeling a little bit of role reversal to a scene, decades ago. 

(I felt you calling, Stanley. Call it a twin connection, like you insisted we had when we were young. Just please don't have a crossbow.) 

"Mystery Shack's closed-" Stanley says as he opens the door, in the same suit he's wearing in the future. His voice quickly dies in his throat. 

"Stanford?" Stanley asks, voice akin to a scared seventeen year old. Even in the dim light, Ford can see water in Stanley's eyes. "Is that really you?" 

Ford's smiling harder than he can ever remember. Tears are already waterfalling down his face. Ford holds a hesitant hand up, scared that the entire moment will shatter, "High Six?"

Stanley is smiling wider than Ford can ever remember him doing and ignores the High Six, opting for throwing his arms around Ford and enveloping Ford in a hug that is warm and comforting and loving in all the best ways.

And Stanford is Home.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!


End file.
